The statue of Robert Burns in Dundee Albert Square is not only a treasure to locals but also part of a worldwide story spanning across continents.
The Dundee statue, designed by the renowned Scottish sculptor Sir John Steell, is one of four identical representations of Scotland's national bard, others being in New York City, London, and Dunedin of New Zealand.
What makes Dundee's statue particularly special is that it was the only one of its kind in Scotland, unveiling a mere fortnight after the New York statue back in 1880.
Today, it proudly acts as a reminder of the enduring legacy that is Robert Burns and is a thread akin to no other to global Scots heritage.
New York City
On October 2, 1880, the first of the four statues of Burns was unveiled in Manhattan's Central Park, thus being the first monument to Burns to be erected outside Scotland.
Gifted to New York by the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York and the Scottish-American community, this statue shows Burns seated on the stump of a tree, with a quill in one hand.
His upward gaze brings him to the thought of his lost love, Mary Campbell, who inspired the poem To Mary in Heaven.
Dundee
In only weeks, Dundee proudly received the second statue. Unveiled in Albert Square in 1880, the sculpture was designed to be like New York's and allows Dundonians and visitors alike to view Burns in his pensive stance, quill poised, ready to dash off his poetic genius.
London
The third was to follow in 1884, put up along London's Thames Embankment. Like its Dundee and New York forerunners, it had been modelled on Alexander Nasmyth's iconic 1787 portrait of Burns.
Its placing on the embankment ensured Burns's immortalisation in the heart of England's teeming capital.
Dunedin, New Zealand
The last of these statues was unveiled on May 24, 1887, in The Octagon, Dunedin's central plaza. Its rich Scottish heritage made Dunedin the appropriate home for this tribute to the bard.
The city was founded in 1848 by the Free Church of Scotland, one of whose founders, Reverend Thomas Burns, was a nephew of the poet.
In true Burnsian style, the statue stands with its back to the cathedral and its face toward the local pubs - a gesture not foreign to the earthy, homespun character of the bard.
A link that spans continents
Each of the four statues, separated by distance physically and yet so connected, binds Scotland to the world over. From Albert Square in Dundee down to New York's Central Park, London's Thames Embankment, and over to Dunedin's Octagon, Burns is immortalised in Steell's creations as a global icon in culture.
To Dundee, the statue is more than history; it's a celebration of finding its place in a shared Scottish identity that reverberates across the world.
And with its standing as the only one of its type in Scotland, Dundee's Burns statue remains a proud symbol of heritage, creativity, and connection to Dundonians and visitors alike.
